


Taking This One to the Grave

by JonasDarkbloom



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Drama, F/M, Family Drama, Hurt Peter Parker, M/M, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Secrets, Stalker, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Stucky - Freeform, Superfamily (Marvel), pretty little liars inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-06-22 03:23:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15572664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JonasDarkbloom/pseuds/JonasDarkbloom
Summary: Bucky Barnes, his husband Steve Rogers, and his son, Peter, are plagued by a mysterious figure called “X”, who seems to know their every move and deepest secrets. The past comes back to bite Steve and Bucky with the final nails in the coffin, and Peter goes to great lengths to shed some light on who their stalker is. The three are caught between searching for answers, finding out who X is, and keeping their family and lives on track. Their every move is carefully monitored by X — the cryptic letter used to sign the threatening notes, texts messages, videos, and creepy packages they receive. Can they uncover X’s true identity, or will their lives be destroyed by the malevolent and omniscient figure?





	1. First Taste of Venom

**Author's Note:**

> Heavily inspired by Pretty Little Liars, aka the most amazing tv show of all time. For this story, imagine SMHM Peter with 1940's Bucky with CATWS Steve. Enjoy!

 

Bucky Barnes used to live a normal life. Had a normal childhood, graduated high school, and had a decent job working as a writer. That all changed when in the middle of college, he met aspiring young actor, Steve Rogers. When they first met, Bucky knew Steve would steal his heart. Steve wasn’t that famous of an actor he was back then compared to now. 

 

He played a few roles in shows, had small cameos in a few movies, and had few lines in blockbuster movies. However, that all changed when Steve got the lead part of Alex Westley in the tv series, Secret Killers, which centered around Alex being stalked by a killer. What then boosted his fame was landing the main character of Damon Montgomery in the trilogy of horror movies, Worshippers, which was about Damon’s life after being hunted by a serial killer. At the end, it was revealed that it was Damon who was the serial killer after all. The shocking twist was what grabbed the world’s eyes and pushed for the movie producers to produce movies after movies, with Steve starring in them. The movies were so amazing that audiences put them on the same levels as The Conjuring, Annabelle, Insidious, and the Halloween movies. 

 

Bucky had to be accustomed to being photobombed whenever he was with Steve, and quickly learned what stakes it took to be with him. Being such a famous actor, Steve had a lot on his plate, trying to balance being the lead character in a tv show and a movie series, and Bucky was hesitant that their relationship would last anymore, but that all washed away when Steve got on his knees and asked for his hand in marriage.

 

Together, they built a family, adopting Peter and living a wealthy life in Los Angeles. Bucky even pushed for his writing, and eventually wrote a book titled “Liars”, a book focusing on a young girl’s agenda to get revenge on her classmates who tried to kill her. The book was successful that it even was produced into a tv show on Freeform, and the three would binge watch the show every Tuesday night. Having a prosperous life with a loving husband and an aspiring son, Bucky thought his life couldn’t get any better. That was until, he started receiving texts from his mysterious stalker.

 

**Head’s up, bff. It’s open season on liars and I’m hunting . . .**

**\- X**

 

Bucky had to rub his eyes to make sure he was reading that right. He stared down at his phone, nervousness creeping up as he received another threatening message from X again. Bucky thought of telling Steve at first, but he thought of them as silly texts from fans as a joke. He decided on not informing his husband of X, but when the texts became more threatening, he realized maybe it was too late.

 

“Hey, love,” Steve said as he walked into the kitchen, “What’s wrong?”

 

Bucky turned off his phone and shook his head, “Nothing important. Aren’t you suppose to be studying your lines?”

 

Steve rolled his eyes, “I’ve  _ been  _ doing that for the last 5 hours. It’s tiring.”

 

Bucky got up and wrapped his arms around Steve, “Hey, at least Secret Killers is on a break, so you won’t have to study the lines for the movie  _ and  _ the show.”

 

Steve melted into the touch, “You’re right. God, I miss being on set for the show. I can’t wait till season 4.”

 

“I know, honey. But, you’re on a break, so relax.” Bucky laughed and let go of Steve, making his way to the couch. “Don’t stress yourself too much.”

 

“While we’re talking about things that stress me out, how’s Peter doing?” Steve asked.

 

Bucky chuckled, “He’s down the street over at Liz’s house. I’m sure he won’t miss his curfew if he doesn’t want his phone taken away.”

 

Steve shook his head and laughed, “We spoil him way too much.”

 

Bucky grinned from his position on the couch. Though he hesitates from giving Peter  _ too  _ much so he won’t be one of those snobby rich kids, he loves spoiling the kid to make him happy. He knows Steve is the same as him, though Steve is the one to set restrictions and boundaries. Bucky was the parents to let Peter hang out with his friends so he could experience a normal childhood, and Steve was the one to ask all sorts of questions and set time limits. Like where was the location they were going to, who was he hanging with, and that Peter should always give him hourly updates on what he was doing. Hell, if Peter misses an update, Steve would drive to wherever they were just to check up on him. Peter learned the hard way not to miss an update, and he’s still embarrassed by it. One time, his phone died when he was with his friends, and Steve drove all the way down to the beach and ran around the location until he found Peter. Peter hates doing the updates, but he loves knowing that his dad does worry and care for him. Sometimes being a movie star would mean less time for Peter to spend time with his pops, but nonetheless, Steve  _ is  _ there for him. 

 

Speaking of phones, Bucky realized his phone died and couldn’t find the charger. He made his way upstairs into his and Steve’ bedroom and found one. However, something in the window caught his eye. It was around 8 pm, and it was already dark by then. Bucky looked through the window that had an overview of their backyard and pool. Outside of their backyard was a street containing other large houses, and under one of the lamp posts directly across from their house was a figure standing below it. 

 

The figure was wearing a black hoodie with matching black pants, and it also looked like they were wearing gloves too. Bucky couldn’t tell from the distance, but it seemed like the figure was just standing there and looking down at the ground, not doing anything. Bucky didn’t realize he was staring until after the figure moved it’s head, staring right at Bucky. Bucky jumped back, startled, and he even ducked. Moving fast, he got back up, grabbed the yellow curtains and pushed them too quickly so that they would cover the window. 

 

Daring, he looked for a brief second through the curtains and saw that the figure was no longer there. He didn’t know whether he should be glad or be even more afraid now. Breathing deeply, he made his way downstairs and joined his husband, who was cooking dinner.

  
  


Peter was walking down the street, jamming along to his Spotify playlist through his earbuds. He just spent a great night having a fun night with Ned, Liz, and MJ at Liz’s house down the street. It was around nine-thirty when he had to leave since his curfew was at 10. Even though Liz’s house was a couple of doors away, the neighborhood they lived in had large houses that the distance between their houses were big. 

 

He walked down the quiet and desolate street when he started to feel anxious. He doesn’t know what it’s about, but he felt as if he wasn’t alone. He pushed down the paranoia and didn’t even notice that he was starting to walk a little bit too fast. He started pressing and turned off his music, and his heart jumped when he heard the sounds of footsteps behind him. He started to sweat, and his footsteps became erratic as he leaped into a full length run. 

 

He took a brief glance behind him, and his heart jumped out his chest when he saw a figure wearing a black hoodie running straight at him a couple feet away. His eyes widened and he ran faster then his legs could carry. He could feel his heart beating and his fear dialed down a level when his house was at view. Still, he was pretty fucking scared. He ran until the figure was no longer in his sight, though he knew the figure was still running after him. He ran to the intercom on the wall of the gate in front of his house and pressed too hard on the button. He forgot his key at home, and he scolded himself for a brief second.

 

“Dad! Pops! Please open up!” Peter screamed through the intercom.

 

Bucky and Steve were having a delightful time making spaghetti when Peter’s voice suddenly filled the room. 

 

“Please open! He’s coming after me!”

 

His voice was full of fear and panic, and the couple quickly dropped what they were doing and headed straight out of the house. Steve bolted through the door while Bucky ran to the door and pressed the button that would open the gates. They were both terrified of what might have happened to their son, and even more afraid when Peter alarmed them that someone was after him. Running outside, Steve saw Peter’s widened eyes filled with terror and the way he gripped hard on the black metal gates.

 

“Pops!” Peter shouted.

 

The gates opened up and Peter ran in Steve’s arms, holding him tight. Bucky soon came and Peter hugged him too, and they both stayed there for a second before Peter alarmed them with tears that they should go inside. 

 

With them all safely inside and the gate locked, Peter explained through deep breaths about what happened to him. 

 

“I was just walking down the street . . .” Peter said with a shaking voice. Bucky patted his son’s back in a soothing motion and Steve ran to get him a glass of water.

 

“I thought I was alone. Then I turned around . . . and I saw him there, coming right at me.”

 

Steve handed him the cup of cold water and Peter gulped down all of it. Steve sat down on the couch right next to his son and put his arm around him.

 

“Did you see his face?” Steve asked.

 

“No,” Peter quietly answered, “It was weird. There was something blocking his face, like a mask.”

 

Steve and Bucky were shaking with terror, and they tried not to think about what would have happened if the person chasing him actually managed to catch him or if they didn’t act fast enough to open the gates.

 

“What was he wearing? And was it a  _ he _ ?” Bucky asked, still rubbing his son’s back.

 

“I’m pretty sure it was a he. And all he was wearing was a black hoodie.” Peter replied.

 

Bucky froze on his spot as he remembered seeing a figure in a black hoodie an hour before Peter did. Steve seemed to notice, and he looked at him in concern.

 

“Buck?” Steve asked, and Peter looked at him as well.

 

“I, I uh,” Bucky nervously gulped, “I saw someone in a black hoodie, too.”   
  


Steve and Peter’s eyes widened with shock.

 

“What?” Steve exclaimed, “When?”   
  


“When I went upstairs to get my charger. He was standing outside in the street, I saw him through the window.” Bucky informed them. Now thinking of it, it all seemed to click for him. The texts from X, the figure in the black hoodie, it was all connected.

 

Steve put his hands on his head as a sign of stress.

 

“That’s not all,” Bucky confessed, “I’ve been getting messages.”

 

“What kind of messages?” Steve asked, face turning red with anger.

 

“Threatening texts. At first, I thought it was someone fooling around. But they started to become more serious.” Bucky said while standing up to retrieve his phone from the kitchen counter. He showed Steve the messages, and he noticed how Steve gripped a little too hard on the phone while reading them.

 

**I know everything.**

**\- X**

 

**I’m everywhere. And soon you’ll be nowhere.**

**\- X**

 

**Dying to know who I am? You’ll find out.**

**\- X**

  
  


“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Steve asked through gritted teeth.

 

“I thought they were jokes at first, Steve.” Bucky replied with a shrug.

 

Steve and Bucky sat in silence, as well as Peter who was listening to the entire conversation.

 

“Can I take a look?” Peter asked.

 

Steve thought about it for a minute, and wanted to say no at first, but realized that Peter’s life was and is still at stake and should be aware of the messages. He hesitantly handed Peter the phone, and Peter slowly read through all of them. There was a couple minutes of silence before the phone dinged.

 

“Um, dads?” Peter alarmed them. “Look.”

 

Steve and Bucky looked at the phone in Peter’s hand, and a new message popped up.

 

**This is just the first taste of my venom.**

**\- X**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a picture of what X looks like: https://78.media.tumblr.com/f839baf0c7812503656b8495a5824fa4/tumblr_n6jfblNpsj1rzt41jo1_1280.jpg  
> and  
> https://i.pinimg.com/236x/fa/93/e0/fa93e03b09fb0ae9fea2ac02a6fb5db9--asking-questions-black-hoodie.jpg


	2. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter tries to find information on where he came from, while Steve and Bucky adjust to the looming threats X has on them.

It was the next day of school, and after a long conversation with his parents on safety, he finally managed to get out of the house. Through the car window, he looked down at the street where X was chasing him, and he shivered with fear. Once reaching the school, he said goodbye to his parents.

 

“Remember, Peter, if you see anything, and I mean  _ anything _ , you call the cops, okay?” Steve reminded him.

 

Peter nodded and he told his goodbyes and I love yous and walked into the school.

 

“Okay, for winter break, we’re traveling to the Philippines to visit my relatives!” Ned happily exclaimed as they stood near Peter’s locker where Peter was unloading his books.

 

“That’s cool. What side of your family are you visiting?” Peter asked him.

 

“My mom’s side. They live on this really cool island.” Ned answered him with a grin.

 

Peter downcasted his gaze and his smile faltered. Peter never knew his biological mother, and he was always curious about where he came from.

 

Ned seemed to notice his frown, “Hey, are you okay?”

 

Peter looked up and nodded his head, “Yeah. I’m good.” He stopped what he was doing for a minute before continuing, “It’s just that . . . I’ve never met my biological mom before.”

 

Ned nodded his head in understandment, “Oh. Have you tried asking your dads?”

 

“I did, once. They just dodged it.” Peter replied, “I don’t think they want me to know who she is.”

 

Peter closed his locker and he and Ned started walking to their first class.

 

“Hey, at least you have two wonderful dads who love you,” Ned told him.

 

Peter smiled, “You know what? I do.”

 

Ned then started rambling about the trip all the way to their class, and as they were sitting down, Peter’s phone ringed in his pocket. He took it out and froze when he read the text.

 

**You got away easily. Next time it won’t be that easy.**

**\- X**

 

“Do you think we did the right thing? Telling him?” Bucky asked Steve as they were cleaning the living room.

 

“I think so. He’s in as deep as we are, we shouldn’t keep him in the dark.” Steve replied while dusting the picture frames on the shelves. They were all happy in those, and Steve smiled at the memories. One was taken at Coney Island on their trip to New York. One was taken at the Hollywood sign when they moved to LA. And one was taken recently, on their trip to Korea a few weeks ago for a press tour for Steve’s movie. Steve words about keeping Peter in the dark echoed throughout his mind.

 

“Do you think we should tell him?” Steve asked.

 

Bucky looked up from the under the counter where he was wiping the drawers.

 

“About what?”

 

“About the truth,” Steve said, “Who his mother is.”

 

Bucky dropped his piece of cloth and he looked at Steve with a frown.

 

“No, not until he’s finally old enough. Last thing I would want him to do is go looking for her.”

 

“But if he asks-”

 

“If he asks, you tell him  _ only  _ the good things. He doesn’t need to know what happened between you two.” Bucky sternly said, and Steve took this as a sign to forget the topic.

 

It was around 2 o’clock when Peter came home. Ned’s parents offered him a ride and he gladly accepted it. His parents buzzed him in, and he finally felt safe in the comfort of his own home.

 

“Hey, Pete,” Bucky asked, “how was school?”

 

Peter set down his bag on the couch and turned to face the two who were cooking fettuccine.

 

“It was . . . It was fine. I, uh, I just . . .” Peter contemplated on whether he should tell them about the text. He figured if they trusted him enough to tell him, then he should too. “I got a text. From X.”

 

Bucky dropped the wooden spoon he was holding and landed in the white sauce. Steve stopped chopping the onions and was lucky he didn’t cut off his fingers. 

 

“What?!” They both exclaimed, walking towards Peter.

 

Peter pulled out his phone and showed them the threatening message. The two trembled in fear as X started to become more and more dangerous, and this text just confirmed that it was X themself who was in the black hoodie. They couldn’t help but feel as if nothing was safe anymore, as if X was watching their every move.

 

Later that night, the three sat down on the glass table and quietly ate the pasta the couple made. Peter wanted to ask them if they’ve had sightings of X recently, but didn’t dare bring that topic back up since it gave them all chills. 

 

“So, Peter, what did you do at school today?” Steve asked.

 

“The usual,” Peter replied, “Ned told me he was going to the Philippines to visit his mom’s side of the family. And that reminded me that I’ve never met my mom before.”

 

Bucky choked on his water and Steve froze in his chair with the food in his mouth. 

 

Bucky cleared his throat, “Um, what?”   
  


Peter hesitantly replied, “I want to know who my biological mother is.”

 

Steve swallowed his food while Bucky looked at him with distress. The two had a silent conversation with their eyes, and Bucky hoped that Steve would remember what he said earlier about only telling Peter the positives.

 

“Well, uh,” Steve spoke after a short second, “What do you want to know?”

 

Peter looked down for a second before speaking, “Like, what was her name? And what happened to her?”

 

Bucky gripped on his cup too tight that he could’ve almost shattered it. It was such a sensitive and awkward topic for them all, and it showed through the tense atmosphere surrounding them.

 

“Well, her name was May Parker,” Steve stated, “And after we adopted you at birth, she never contacted us again.”

 

Peter ignored the hurt he felt in his stomach as he asked another question, “Was she cool?”

 

“She was, uh, she was interesting.” Steve responded.

 

Peter slumped back in his chair, and he was glad with the information they gave him. He still doesn’t know much though, like who his biological father is. He hopes to God that it’s either Steve or Bucky, but they never actually specified it. Not thinking of it, he realizes that he should be happy that he got two loving dads to take care of him, and he wouldn’t trade that for the world. The three continued on to another subject, Steve’s upcoming movie, and though Peter begged and begged for the plot of the third movie, Steve refused to give him a straight answer. Peter was a huge fan of Worshippers and couldn’t wait for the third movie. Steve wanted a genuine reaction from his family when they see his movies, so he tries not to spoil too much around them. Besides, he loves it when he knows a jumpscare is going to pop up and Bucky and Peter’s eyes are glued on the screen. He can’t help the smile that creeps on his face when the two jump in their seats and scream, and Bucky hitting him on the arm for not warning them.

 

The three continued eating their dinner while talking about fun topics, and didn’t notice the pair of eyes watching them through the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short chapter, but I promise, the next chapter is full of juicy details and X becomes more threatening!  
> Summary for the next chapter: Peter recruits Ned to help him track down May Parker. Steve and Bucky get some help from a special someone about X, but the consequences are dire and shocking.


	3. Can You Hear Me Now?

Steve and Bucky drove through the busy streets of LA the next morning as they tried to make their way to the local police department. The two were planning to speak to a cop or a detective, and tell them about X and their harassment. Once reaching their destination, the two walked inside and approached the front desk. They noticed that they were being stared at, probably because of many of them have watched Steve’s movies.

 

“Hi there, may we please speak to a detective?” Bucky asked the woman at the front desk, who was too busy staring at Steve. Bucky hated when they drew attention, mostly the women, since they stare at his husband and have an awkward attempt to flirt with him. 

 

“I know a detective,” A male voice said from behind them, and the two turned around to see a man with frosty blue eyes and long slicked back black hair. “I’m Detective Loki Odinson.” The man reached out his hand and the two shaked his hand with smiles.

 

“So what is the problem?” Loki asked.

 

“We’re having problems with this person harassing us.” Steve replied.

 

“The thing is,” Bucky added, “We don’t know who this person is.”

 

Loki nodded in understandment.

 

“I know a detective who specializes in those kind of mysteries. Please, come this way.” He said as he started walking to another part of the building with Steve and Bucky following close behind. 

 

They reached a door on the second story, and the two thanked Loki for his help. They knocked before a man with a black hair and a goatee opened up.

 

“How may I help you?” The man asked.

 

“We have this anonymous person harassing us, and we would like to find out the identity of this harasser so he or she may do no more harm to us.” Steve smoothly replied.

 

“Ah,” The man grinned, “Please come in. I’m Detective Stephen Strange.”

 

The two entered the office and bid farewell to Loki. Loki returned them a smile before the doors closed. Walking into the nearest empty room, he pulled his phone out and dialed the number.

 

“They’re here.” Loki informed the other as soon as they picked up.

 

“Please start when your harasser has first popped up,” Strange said as he sat down on his chair with the two facing him on the other side of the desk.

 

“Well, I got the first text sometime in September. I thought they were just kidding at first, but when it constantly kept happening and they got more serious, we figured it was more than just a person making jokes.” Bucky informed him.

 

Strange played with his fingers before asking, “And these texts, do you still have them?”

 

Bucky nodded and gave his phone to the detective for him to read.

 

“And this last one,” Strange pointed to the last text sent by X, “Was this the most recent one?”

 

Bucky and Steve shared a look before they shook their heads.

 

“No, our son, Peter, got the most recent text.” Steve told him.

 

Strange nodded before giving the phone back to Bucky.

 

“If you could, explain what you think the meanings are behind the messages.” Strange stated.

 

Bucky hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “We don’t know what the first few messages mean, but the last message was sent to us after a person in a black hoodie chased our son when he was walking home.”

 

“Ahh,” Strange said as if something clicked in his brain, “So this ‘X’ sent the last one as a warning sign that more will come after your son was attacked?”

 

The two nodded, and they continued to talk more about X’s messages and attack. Strange developed some theories: X was an ex, someone the two might have angered, a bully at Peter’s school, a crazed fan, etc. At first, Steve and Bucky were reluctant on telling someone else about X, but now, they were more than glad they did as Strange seemed to be really helpful in their situation. Strange gave them advice such as locking all doors and windows, having someone be with Peter at all times when walking, blocking X’s number, and not letting the fear of being watched control their actions. They continued to talk more, and they started on a plan to bring X down.

 

“What are we doing again?” Ned asked Peter. The two were in the school’s gigantic library, and they were seated at the table farthest away from any people. Peter pulled out his laptop and set it down on the desk.

 

“We,” Peter said as he powered on his laptop, “are going to search for my mother.”   
  


“Wait, what?” Ned shockingly asked.

 

“I asked my dads about my biological mom and they said her name was May Parker.” Peter informed him.

 

“Peter, are you sure this is a good idea?” Ned asked him with concern.

 

“Yes, Ned, I’m sure,” Peter turned to him and gave his best puppy eyes, “besides, you’re my best friend, you’ll do this for me, right?”

 

Ned nodded after a second as he couldn’t defeat Peter’s puppy eyes and pout. He grabbed Peter’s laptop and typed in “May Parker” on the Google search engine. Peter knew Ned’s talent at technology, and though Peter himself was good at it too, Ned was the best between the two.

 

“There’s a May Parker in England,” Ned stated and Peter’s heart rate jumped up, “. . . who died 60 years ago.”

 

Peter slumped back into his seat as Ned continued looking.

 

“Oh wait,” Ned said, and Peter looked at the screen, “There’s a May Parker institutionalized at Radley Sanitorium.”

 

Peter froze in his seat and his breath hitched. His mother was a mental patient? No, it couldn’t have been her.

 

“Reports here say that she was sent to Radley after a baby that she was babysitting died under her watch.” Ned stated, “They deemed her mentally ill.”

 

“How old is she?” Peter asked, his voice shaking with uncertainty.

 

“She’s 36, brunette, and she’s been at Radley for 21 years.” Ned replied, “According to this, she was 16 when she got sent away.”

 

“So that means she was pregnant with me when she was in Radley,” Peter stated.

 

“ _ If _ , Peter,  _ if _ .” Ned replied.

 

Since there’s no other May Parker’s they can find, it seemed like the only candidate was this May Parker at Radley. Peter had a thought, but he dismissed it when he realized how crazy it was.

 

“Do you . . .  wanna go there?” Ned questioned him.

 

Peter looked at him with hesitance and uncertainty. Did he? He’s been wondering who his mother was and now this was a chance to find her. He was contemplating different things all at once. What if she wasn’t his mother? What if she was and now he has to live with knowing she’s a mental patient? How would his parents react? Should he even tell them?

 

After a few seconds, Peter silently nodded.

 

“We can go tomorrow,” Ned stated.

 

“I doubt our parents would drive us to a mental institution.” Peter responded.

 

“Radley’s 10 miles away. I know an arcade around the block, my parents can drop us off there and we can walk to Radley,” Ned told him.

 

Peter nodded, and it seemed like such a crazy idea to go all the way to Radley to talk to her, but if Peter can finally sleep better knowing who his mother is, then it’s worth a shot.

 

“Thank you very much, Detective Strange.” Steve said as it was time for him and Bucky to leave.

 

“You’re very welcome. And you have my number, call if X has done anything.” Strange told them with a grin. Bucky and Steve gave him a smile before they started walking down the stairs.

“The guy’s good. I think we did the right thing.” Steve stated. Just then, Bucky’s phone dinged. He pulled out his phone and his mouth gaped at the new message. He showed Steve and his eyes widened in shock.

 

**You bark, I bite. You said my name, you BOTH pay.**

**\- X**

 

Just then, another message popped up , a link attached. Bucky clicked on the link and what popped up shocked them both. It was a photo of their living room, completely destroyed. From the picture, it seems that picture frames were completely smashed on the floor, vases were shattered, books from the bookshelf scattered and pages ripped out, furniture thrown all around, and many other horrible things. Bucky and Steve quickly ran back to Strange’s office and informed him of the message.

 

Being dropped off at his house by Ned’s parents, he was completely shocked when he saw police cars parked in their driveaway. The gate was open, and there were reporters on their driveway. There was a tv news van near the gate, and a woman standing in front of their house talking into a camera. There was yellow police tape around their house and blocking the door. Walking his way to the front door, the reporters noticed him and instantly went from interviewing a police officer to swarming him. He covered his eyes to block the flashing lights and couldn’t hear anything as the reporters kept shouting questions in his ear. He reached the front door where a police officer blocked the reporters from following him.

 

Walking in, he noticed his house was in complete disarray. It seemed as if someone broke into his house and completely trashed it all. Fear set in as he started thinking about his parents and if they were hurt as well. That fear subsided when he walked into the kitchen and saw his dads talking to a detective.

 

“Dads!” Peter shouted as he raced across the room to hug them tightly.

 

“What happened?” Peter asked as they separated from the hug.

 

“We’ll explain later, Pete.” Steve stated.

 

“Peter, go into your room and check if anything’s been messed with.” Bucky told him, and Peter nodded and walked upstairs to his room. Luckily, it seems as if only the first floor was trashed and the second floor was left alone. Still, he looked around every single crevice he could find to search for anything out of the ordinary. 

 

Later that night, the police left and the reporters were dismissed off their property. The house was still a mess, but luckily Steve called some cleaners a friend suggested him to. They managed to clean the floor of any broken shards of glass and pieces of decoration. The furniture was put back into place, and all Steve and Bucky needed to do was replace the picture frames and decorations.

 

Walking down stairs, he found his dad vacuuming the floor while his pops was putting items back into their place. 

 

“So what happened exactly?” Peter asked the two, and Bucky turned off the vacuum.

 

“We told a detective about the messages, and apparently, X wasn’t so happy about that.” Steve responded.

 

“Wait, so X was angry that you told someone and so they trashed the house?” Peter asked with disgust in his voice.

 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Steve replied.

 

“How’d they get in?” Peter asked.

 

“They picked the lock, and the police think he climbed over the gate.” Bucky stated.

 

Peter crossed his arms and nodded, and he sat down on the couch.

 

“You know what’s weird?” Steve said, turning to face them, “How did X manage to turn off the cameras outside  _ and  _ the alarm systems? And also, X knew pretty quick that we were at the police department.”

 

‘“You think X was following us?” Bucky asked.

 

“I don’t know. The timeline doesn’t add up. How did X manage to follow us to the station, listen to our conversation, then go back to the house, turn off the cameras and alarms, and ruin the place and leave before the police came? It doesn’t make sense.” Steve stated.

 

“Did you guys tell the cops about X?” Peter asked.

 

“We thought about it. But we figured if we told someone again, X will punish us for it.” Bucky said with fear in his voice.

 

Peter rolled his eyes and scoffed, “God, the audacity. I mean, who does he think he is?”

 

Bucky nodded, “We don’t know yet, but we will.”

 

And with that, Peter headed up to his room. He needed the extra sleep since he’ll probably need all the energy tomorrow for Radley. His phone dinged, a text from Ned confirming his parents were willing to give them a ride. He stayed up all night, playing out the different scenarios in his head on what could possibly happen tomorrow. He just hopes that he’ll finally get some answers and move on with his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary for the next chapter, A Scattered Past: Peter and Ned visit May Parker in Radley Sanitarium in hopes for getting an answer as to who Peter's biological mother is.


	4. A Scattered Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Characters!

“Have fun, Pete!” Bucky and Steve shouted from the living room. It was Saturday morning, and Peter and Ned were ready to go to Radley. Of course, if their parents knew, there was no way in hell they would let them near the mental institution. So the two claimed they were going to the arcade, which wasn’t technically a lie, they _were_ going to spend a few hours at the arcade before heading to Radley.

 

“Bye! Love you!” Peter shouted back, and he closed the door and made his way to Ned’s car. He greeted Ned’s parents and thanked them in advance for the lift, and the two spent a good 20 minutes together until they were dropped off the arcade. Ned said his goodbyes, and the two had a fun time playing games and winning tickets. When the time to leave approached, Peter felt uneasy in his stomach. Anxiousness creeped up, and he had to fight the urge to just bail from the plan entirely. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint his source of stress. Maybe it was the fact he was meeting his potential mother. And if she wasn’t his mother, then disappointment would loom over him. And if she was, then he’d finally sleep a little better, or be totally uncomfortable with the fact his mother was a mental patient.

 

The time to leave came, and the two made their short way to the sanitarium. Approaching the building, he saw the how seemingly empty it is. It seemed as if it was an abandoned building with the overgrown moss growing on every side of the windows with the pattern. And the black gate with the words “RS” made it even more ominous, with the fact that the gate was there to keep patients from leaving. Going through the gates and walking up the steps to the front door, chills and nervousness creeped along the two. They opened the doors and approached the lady at the desk.

 

“Hi, may we speak to May Parker?” Peter asked the lady. The woman simply looked up and then stared down at her book she was reading.

 

“You need to be at least 18 or older or accompanied by an adult.” She stated.

 

Oh shoot. Peter sighed and self-hatred spread through him. He should’ve known they would never let a teen inside. He looked back at Ned who seemed to have the same expression, and Peter was about to turn to the lady to thank her for her inconvenience when someone interrupted him.

 

“You’re looking for May Parker?” A male voice said. Peter and Ned turned to their left and saw a man in his 30s or 40s with curly black hair.

“I’m Bruce Banner, I sometimes help out here, come with me,” Bruce said. Peter and Ned followed him and they introduced themselves, and he led them to a large room where the patients would spend the majority of their days. The room held multiple couches and sitting areas, a shelf full of books, lots of plants, a piano, and giant windows. There were patients quietly sitting down, mostly in their 20s and 30s, and the place was quiet for a room that held a lot of people. Bruce led them to a woman sitting on a bench that had a view of outside. Her back was facing them, and she was quietly observing the outside. She seemed . . . content.

 

“May?” Bruce softly called out to her, and she turned around to face them with a slight smile. Peter was frozen, he was waiting for this moment for quite a long time. He didn’t whether to hug her or just flat out leave, hell, he didn’t even know if she was his mother.

 

“Yes?” May asked, and Bruce introduced her to Peter and Ned.

 

“May, you have some visitors, this is Peter and Ned,” Bruce said as he pointed to the two. Peter and Ned gave her a warm smile, and she looked at them with confusion.

 

“Who are they?” May asked Bruce, and though she was confused, she wasn’t afraid or alarmed.

 

“They’re here to visit you,” Bruce stated, “I’ll give you some time alone.”

 

Peter thanked him and Bruce left to sit down on one of the couches.

 

“Hey, Peter,” Ned said, “I’m gonna give you some time alone. I’ll be over there.” Ned pointed to the couch and Peter nodded. He gave his best friend a warm smile before Ned left.

 

“Hi, I, uh,” Peter awkwardly stuttered, “I’m Peter Rogers.”

 

May gave him a smile, “I’m May Parker. Though Bruce might have already informed you of that.”

 

Peter nodded and he didn’t know whether to flat out ask her if she was his mother or awkwardly stand there.

 

“Please, sit.” May patted the empty spot next to her on the bench, and he sat down.

 

“I, um, I have a few questions for you.” Peter stated.

 

“Go ahead, kid.” May responded.

 

“Do . . . do you happen to remember giving birth? I know it’s a weird question, but were you ever pregnant?” Peter asked and he felt his face flush with embarrassment.

 

“It’s okay, Peter,” May replied and shook her head, “I don’t remember giving birth or being pregnant, sorry.”

 

Peter’s face fell and he felt the disappointment he feared would happen loom over him.

 

“Why were you asking? Looking for somebody?” May asked after seeing the sadness on his face.

 

“I guess so, yeah.” Peter responded with a chuckle. The two sat in short silence before Peter broke the silence.

 

“So, um, how are you?” Peter questioned her. Thought she wasn’t the person he was looking for, she still seemed like a very nice person.

 

“I’m doing fine for being a mental patient,” May joked and Peter chuckled, “Bruce is here to accompany me these lonely times. My sister rarely visits, and Bruce is good company. He’s a scientist, but he comes here to talk to me.”

 

Peter smiles and glances back at the man reading a book on the couch, “Yeah, he seems like a very likeable guy. How long have you known him?”

 

“Back in high school. We made a connection, as you kids say,” May answered.

 

Peter nodded, and after a short silence, he realized he got the answer he needed.

 

“It was very nice meeting you, May, but my friend and I have somewhere to get to.” Peter said with a small smile. May nodded in understandment and they parted ways. Peter was glad he had gone here. Though he didn’t get the answer he wanted, he still got one, and that’s enough for Peter to make him happy. He and Ned soon left the sanitarium, and they thanked Bruce for letting them talk to May. They waved goodbye, and made their way back to the arcade.

 

“Did you get your answer?” Ned asked whilst they walked down the street.

 

“No, she isn’t my mother,” Peter replied, “But at least I got an answer, it’ll help me sleep better.”

 

He stopped walking and Ned turned around to him.

 

“Thank you for being with me,” Peter said as he pulled Ned into a hug, “I couldn’t ask for a better best friend.”

 

Ned smiled, “That’s what I’m here for, Pete.”

 

They broke the hug and continued their walk to the arcade when Peter’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and stopped walking when he read the text.

 

**See how easy it is for me to fool you? Checkmate, bitch.**

**\- X**

 

He scanned his over the text, unsure of what it meant. What did X fool him in? Did X do something he didn’t notice? Ned stared back at him in with furrowed brows.

 

“Peter, you good?” Ned asked, and Peter was brought back from his trance.

 

“Hm? Yeah, I’m okay. Just a text from my dad.” He gave Ned a short smile while pushing his phone down his pocket. The two then started to walk to the arcade, and though he did have a fun time with Ned, his mind kept traveling back to the text X sent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary for the next chapter: Steve suspects the mischievous Detective Loki, while Peter take matters into his own hands and try to put a stop to X, but his problems are far from over.
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated!!


	5. Reality Bites Me

It was Saturday morning, Peter had just left with Ned to go to the arcade, and Steve and Bucky are spending the day together, formulating a plan with Detective Strange to put an end to X. They sat in the chair, listening to Strange’s theories and suggestions. They regretted telling Strange at first when their house was vandalized as punishment, but they now realized that what’s done is done and Strange’s help was extremely useful. They were glad they were able to talk to somebody about it, someone who understood and trying to help them.

 

Steve took a break from them, heading down to the area of the police department where the coffee maker was at. With the coffee cooling down on the counter, Steve decided he needed to go to the bathroom before he makes his way to Strange’s office again.  Unfortunately, he took a few wrongs turns and ended up lost somewhere in the farthest section in the building. He’s shocked by how huge the building actually is, and realized he should’ve asked for directions at first. He’s decided on retracing his steps when he suddenly hears whispering in one of the empty rooms. It was an unoccupied office, probably where all the old paperwork was held at. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walks closer to the room and sees a person in the shadows in the far corner of the room talking to someone over the phone. It seemed like an intense conversation, and the more Steve got closer, the more he could make out of what the other person was saying.

 

“No, I did not say anything!” the man hisses, and Steve recognizes the voice as Detective Loki’s. Steve wonders if he’s violating the other man’s privacy by overhearing his conversation, and turns around to leave the man alone when Loki says something that catches his attention.

 

“What you’re doing is dangerous and I could lose my job if they ever find out!” Loki was furious now, and Steve couldn’t help the screaming voice in his brain that was dying to know what Loki meant. “You can stop this before it’s too late! Stop the threats already!” Loki violently shouted, and Steve mouth’s was gaping open. The threats that Loki was talking about, could it be _the_ threats from X? Was Loki apart of the messages? Steve clenched his fist as anger washed over him, and he had to fight the urge from storming in the dark room and demanding an answer.

 

“We’ll talk about this tonight.” And with that, Loki hung up the phone. Steve heard the sound of Loki’s footsteps, and he quickly dashed out to the other side of the building. Forget the coffee, he had to tell his husband about what he just overheard.

 

Loki stepped out of the dark and empty room. He noticed he was being a little bit too loud, and he hoped to God no one overheard him. He wouldn’t know what to do if he ever lost his job, and that’s why he needed to put an end to this.

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Leeds!” Peter shouts his gratitude from across his doorway. It was 7 o’clock, and Ned’s parents picked them up from the arcade and drove him home. He waved goodbye to them one last time before closing the door to his house. He walked to the living room and slumped back into the couch. He didn't know what to feel after visiting May in Radley. Yes, he got his answer, and it made him feel a little bit better with himself, but there was this tiny part in his brain that wanted a different answer. He looked around the house and realized there were no signs of his parents anywhere. He spotted a yellow post-it note on the counter, and he walked over to it.

 

**Be home soon. Went to the police department. Order takeout if you’re hungry.**

**Love, Dad and Pops**

 

Peter sighed and pulled out his phone. The feeling of being alone in his house where someone broke in made Peter uncomfortable. He feels as if the person never left, hiding in the shadows and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. The house was still recovering from the attack, and he would sometimes finds pieces of broken glass in unexpected places. Peter needed company, and if he could get out of the house, then he would gladly take it.

 

Peter: hey wyd

Liz: nothing, parents out on a date night

Liz: it’s gross

Peter: cool, can i come over ?

Liz: sure, we can watch a few movies

Peter: okay, see you in a few minutes

 

Peter smiled and ran upstairs to take a shower. He needed to smell god for her, and not like he was trying to get her to notice him. Yes, he did have a bit of a crush on her in the beginning of the school year, but as they became closer, Peter realized he was fine if their relationship stayed just as friends. He was lucky for her though, she was the kind of friend that you think has it good, that she doesn’t have any problems with her life. She was always there for him, staying at each other’s houses late at night studying for tests, comforting him when he doubts himself, and being the perfect friend that Peter aspires to be. She was like his guardian angel, which Peter will never say out loud if he wants to die of embarrassment.

 

“Okay, what was it you were so eager to tell me about?” Bucky asks Steve as they get in their car. It was getting dark and they figured Peter was home already and shouldn’t be left alone in case X attacks again. They said their goodbyes to Detective Strange, who reminded them to alert him if anything suspicious pops up.

 

“I didn’t want to say this with Strange in the room, but,” Steve said as he buckled his seatbelt, “I overheard Detective Loki on the phone, and I think he’s working with X.”

 

Bucky blinked and he had needed a second to make sure he heard that right.

 

“You think Loki’s a dirty cop?” He asked with skepticism in his voice.

 

“I know it’s weird, but he said something about dangerous threats and losing his job if anyone finds out,” Steve informed him, “I just wanna know why he would work with X.”

 

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Bucky said, which earned a weird look from Steve. Bucky motioned for Steve to look out his side of the window, and they saw Loki walking towards his car and entering.

 

“Follow him.” Steve dryly said.

 

“What?” Bucky blurted with a frown.

 

“He’s getting away, follow him!” Steve exclaimed as he watches the vehicle start to drive away from the parking lot.

 

“You want me to follow a cop? Are you crazy?” Bucky asked, bewildered.

 

“Yes! Now go!” Steve yelled as Loki drove away from their sights.

 

“Okay, damn, hold on,” Bucky said as he started backing away.

 

“Peter!” Liz squealed as she embraced Peter in a tight hug in the doorway.

 

“Hey, Liz, nice to see you too.” Peter teased as she pulled away. He closed the door and they walked into the living room. Her house was just as big as Peter’s, though the style and decoration where completely different. There was the homey vibe to her home, and though his home had the same kind of vibe, living with famous parents meant that it had to look modern and neat. His parents did this by displaying their money through the decorations, buying expensive vases (which were broken in the attack), top of the line furniture, state of the art technology, hell, even their foods were cooked with fine precision.

 

“Okay, so we can watch High School Musical, Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie, basically any Disney Channel Original movies.” Liz said with excitement as she sat down on the couch with Peter.

 

“Wow, making me nostalgic already,” Peter teased as Liz started searching for the movies on Netflix displayed on their living room tv. He felt safe here, and especially with Liz, who was great company.

 

“Ooh, I heard about this one movie from MJ and she-” Liz was interrupted when her phone rang. She picked up her phone and groaned when she read the number. She furiously hanged up and set it down on the coffee table again.

 

“Everything okay? Who was that?” Peter prodded with concern.

 

“Just this stupid telemarketer calling me non-stop,” Liz rolled her eyes. An idea popped into her mind and she grabbed her laptop from the table, “You know what, Ned was telling me about this website.”

 

“What website?” Peter scooted closer to her and watched her type something in the search engine with confusion.

 

“A website where you can block all messages from people you don’t know. IMs, texts, emails, everything.” Liz replied as she imputed her preferences in the website. Hearing of this website, it would seem logical that Peter should do it as well, right? He contemplated it for a second before deciding that X shouldn’t have control over what he does and doesn’t do. Besides, there’s nothing that X can say or do to get him into trouble without making trouble for him or herself.

 

“And done!” Liz exclaimed, clapping happily. “You wanna go next?”

 

Peter happily nodded and took the computer in his lap. He typed his number and set his preferences to block anything from anyone he doesn’t know. He hovered over the “Apply” button. He clicked on it, and let out a breath of relief he didn’t know he was holding. He felt lighter now, like a spell was lifted off of him. Screw X. He looked back at Liz with a bright smile and they continued the night together.

 

“Where the hell is he going?” Bucky asked as they continued to follow the cop. It was about 5 minutes into the drive when Loki took a turn to one of the shady parts of town. Drug deals, riots, anything bad, it happens here. Steve and Bucky would never willingly drive into this part of town. They were afraid that if anybody took one good look at their car, they’ll be deemed rich and be robbed. They’ve always avoided driving through or near the town, especially with Peter.

 

Luckily, they haven’t spotted anyone out on the streets, but that could also mean they’re all hiding out in the shadows. They’re following the detective’s car close, but not close enough that Loki would suspect they were following him. 3 minutes into the drive, Loki took the exit out of the town and went deeper into the woods. The two shared a look of confusion before proceeding to follow him.

 

When Steve’s phone dinged, the two were certain it was another X message. X probably found out they were following the detective.

 

“X?” Bucky questioned with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

 

“No, it’s from Peter,” Steve replied, “He says he’s at Liz’s house. He’ll be back when we are.”

 

Steve put down his phone and Bucky sighed.

 

“He’s uncomfortable being in the house alone.” Bucky insisted, and the two felt ashamed for being unable to protect their home or to comfort their son.

 

“We have to stop X. I’ll do whatever it takes. He won’t lay a finger on our son.” Steve stated, determination and protectiveness in his voice. That’s what made Bucky love Steve so much. The way Steve would be determined to push his acting career, determined to land the role, determined to be a great father. Bucky loved that about Steve, and he loved how determined Steve was about making his love known to Bucky. He was grateful he was in a loving marriage with a loving husband.

 

“We’ll catch X. And we’ll send him to jail where he can send his miserable days rotting in that cel,” Bucky added. Steve gave him a look, he knows Bucky isn’t the one for violence and stuff, but he knows what a person is able to do when someone they love is in danger.

 

“Are you sure it’s a he?” Steve asked.

 

“He, she, doesn’t make any difference. Still a bitch.” Bucky replied.

 

“You know, it’s crazy,” Steve laughed, “Never thought I’d be here following a detective.”  


Bucky grinned, “Like we're in a movie or something.”

  
  
Steve chuckled and was going to say something else when Loki suddenly turned to the right.

 

“Woah, woah, wait,” Bucky mumbled as he steered to the right to follow Loki, “Is he going to the Lost Woods Resort?”

 

“That place gives everyone the chills.” Steve added. They spotted Loki’s car parked outside the resort and they guessed he went inside. Parking nearby in the trees, Steve and Bucky slowly stepped towards the resort. The resort was one story and only included 5 rooms and the main lobby. They entered the lobby, and found that it was dimly lit with the only source of light coming from a lamp on the counter. They approached the counter where the person would usually be, but was met with the sight of an empty chair.

 

“Where did Loki go?” Bucky frowned and looked around the dark and desolate room. There were black and white pictures hung up on the wall with wooden frames, heads of animals hung up on the wall behind the counter, and another door next to the desk. Bucky tapped on Steve’s shoulder and motioned for them to go into the other room. Creeping towards it, they were afraid of something jumping out at them. Nonetheless, they slowly opened the door and was met with another dark room. Steve pulled out his phone and opened the flashlight, and found that the room was some sort of lounging area of the owner. There was a sink and stove on one corner with a mini fridge, a couch near the door, and some drawers lined up on the wall. They didn’t find anyone, and didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

 

“Let’s go home, Buck, Loki probably just parked here to distract us from the real location,” Steve insisted. Bucky was about to say something else when their car’s alarm turned on, disrupting the peace and quiet in the woods.

 

“What the hell?” Steve loudly exclaimed as the two dashed out of the building. They ran to the spot their car was hidden at, and saw that the all of the car’s doors were wide open. Bucky pressed the button on the car keys, and the car’s alarm turned off. The two were frozen in their spot as they looked at the car, too afraid to go near it. They slowly approached the car, and looked inside. Multiple copies of the same photo were strewn across the inside of their car. On the dashboard, seats, and the floor had piles and piles of the pictures. Bucky walked to the back of the car, finding the trunk completely open with pictures littered across it. Steve took one picture that was on the seat and examined it closely. It was a picture of him, Bucky, and Peter eating dinner, and it seems like the picture was taken through a window. Bucky held in a gasp as he remembered the picture. It was them eating dinner last night, after their house was vandalized. Fear crept in as they realized they were being watched that night. Hell, they might be being watched right now. The two couldn’t find the right words to utter as they looked at the pictures. There must’ve been hundreds and hundreds of the same photo.

 

“Oh my god, Steve,” Bucky gasped, looking directly at their windshield. On the windshield was a picture taped with words written on it. Bucky took the picture off and examined it closely. He handed it to Steve with shaking hands. Steve looked at the picture, and on it was in red big words written in red marker.

 

**SECRETS CAN RUIN A FAMILY.**

 

With Liz informing him that her parents would be back soon, Peter guessed it was time to leave. He had a fun night watching movies and goofing around with her, and was glum when he had to go. He gave her a tight hug and walked back (more like ran back) to his house. Walking down the same street where he was chased by X, Peter thought he would move on and forget. But he noticed he walked a little too quick, gripped his phone he was holding incase of an emergency a little too hard, and let a out a breath of relief he didn’t know he was holding when he go to the gate. He unlocked the gate with his key that he reminded himself to bring whenever he left the house. He didn’t want another incident like what happened a few days ago.

 

Finally inside, he felt a little more safer, but not entirely safe as his parents weren’t home yet. His stomach grumbled, and he walked to the kitchen to fetch himself some leftover pasta last night. Walking into the kitchen, he froze as he turned on the light and saw the kitchen knife on the counter. He’s certain he didn’t see that before he left. And if he’s parents hadn’t been home, who could it be?

 

It all click into place and Peter quickly grabbed the knife, holding it out in self defense. He hesitantly check around the first floor for any signs of an intruder, and was relieved when he didn’t find one. He crept upstairs, still gripping the knife, and check every room on the second story. The master bedroom, his parent’s bathroom and closet, his dad’s office, the guest bedroom and guest bathroom.

 

He slowly entered his room, and let out a sigh of relief. There was no one in the house, and it seems like they just came and left. Peter was about to head downstairs and call his parents when something caught his eye. He turned to it and gasped. He ran downstairs and immediately dialed his parents.

 

“Peter!? Peter!” Steve and Bucky shouted as they ran inside their house. They were in the middle of gathering up the pictures X littered inside their car when they got the frantic call from their son. They instantly got it and slammed the gas pedal all the way to their house. They ran all the way up to his room, and relieved when they saw Peter standing with widened eyes with a knife in his hands.

 

“Peter?” Bucky asked, and Steve gasped as he looked at what Peter was staring at. Bucky silently gasped as he looked too. There, in the corner of Peter’s room, was his full length mirror, with the words written in red marking.

 

**IT WON’T BE THAT EASY BITCH - X**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary for the next chapter: Trying to ignore X backfired for Peter, and everyone, including Detective Strange, has to pay the price.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated !!!
> 
> ~Till Next Time~


	6. Behind Your Back

“Are you sure you didn’t see anybody in the house?” Bucky asked as he paced back and forth in their living room.

 

“Yes, dad, I already told you! I didn’t see anybody!” Peter snapped back, irritated. His parents kept asking him the same question over and over and he was getting tired of it. Currently, he’s sitting on the couch with a headache as his dad irritates him with questions and his pops was roaming around the house with the largest knife they had. Steve had already check around the entire house 3 times in a row and Peter swore on his life he even found his pops searching in the drawers.

 

“Okay, I checked, no one’s here,” Steve stated as he walked down the stairs.

 

“I called Strange and he should be here in a few minutes,” Bucky informed him as they both sat down on the couch.

 

“Why the hell is X doing this?! We’ve literally never done anything wrong! We’ve never wronged anybody!” Steve’s voice boomed across the house as he yells out. The two husbands were steaming angry. They were angry at X and even angry at themselves for leaving Peter alone. They were relieved when X wasn’t in the house the time Peter got back. They wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if Peter was attacked, hurt, or . . . 

 

The sound of the intercom buzzing rang through the house and the two were snapped out of their thoughts. 

 

“Detective Strange here!” Strange’s voice came in as he spoke through the intercom. Bucky and Steve buzzed him in and waited at the open door. They watched as the man parked in the driveway and greeted them as he walked towards the two. They noticed he was carrying a briefcase, probably where his items were kept.

 

“Detective Strange, please come in,” Steve greeted him. Strange entered the large house as Steve shut the door.

 

“Detective Strange, thank you so much for coming,” Bucky thankfully said.

 

Strange gave him a smile, “It’s no inconvenience. It is my job.”

 

Peter walked into the room and looked at the three. He’s heard of the detective before but never met him personally.

 

“Oh, this is our son, Peter,” Bucky said as Peter approached them, “Peter, this is Detective Strange,”

 

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” Peter smiled at him as he shook his hand.

 

“It is nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard great things about you,” Strange returned the smile. From what Peter could tell, Strange was a responsible and neat man who seemed like he knew what he was doing.

 

“Please, if you could, tell me what exactly happened tonight,” Strange said and Peter walked over to the counter where they followed him.

 

“I got home from my friend’s house down the street, walked into the kitchen, and found the knife,” Peter stated as he pointed a finger at the exact spot he found the knife, “I knew for a fact nobody else was home and that neither my parents or I would leave a knife out in the counter so I realized somebody else must have left it there.”

 

Peter then walked towards the stairs and up to his room with the three men following behind him.

 

“I grabbed the knife and searched the house for anything unordinary. Then I went upstairs and into my room and saw the mirror.”

 

Strange walked closer to the mirror and inspected the words carefully.

 

**IT WON’T BE THAT EASY BITCH - X**

 

It was red, and it seemed to be lipstick marks. Strange set the briefcase on Peter’s bed and grabbed his camera. He took a few shots, one from a distance, one from a close point of view, and many angles on each of the letters written. He then grabbed a small rectangular piece of glass and scooped a sample of the lipstick marks on it and placed the sample in an airtight ziplock.

 

“Okay, according to the patterns,” Strange spoke up, “It seems the intruder took his time, seeing as there’s no faint marks where that would mean he or she was writing the message quick and was in a hurry or layers where that would mean the intruder was applying hard pressure meaning he or she could’ve been angry.”

 

The three were impressed at the detective’s resourcefulness and inspection, they would’ve never guessed that on their own.

  
“I will take the sample back to the lab and find out what shade and brand the lipstick was and maybe track down possible leads,” Strange stated as he closed his briefcase, “Now, Peter, did you noticed anything out of the ordinary outside? Where the gates and doors locked?”

 

Peter shook his head, “No, sir, the gates were locked and so was the doors.”   
  
Strange nodded, “I will go outside now and inspect the gate and door for any signs.” Strange and his parents followed him outside of the room when Peter’s phone dinged in his pocket. He hoped that it wasn’t X again. Soon after he found the mirror and his dads were back home, Peter got on his computer and unblocked his phone. He figured if blocking X was what made them so mad, then what’s the point of keeping it blocked. There was a message with a link attached, and he opened the link and gasped as he watched the video. He shouted after his dads and they came running back.

 

“Dads! Look!” He handed the phone to them and read the message. They soon clicked the link and all stood frozen in shock.

 

**Ever wonder what’s going on when your back is turned?**

**\- X**

 

The video was taken from Peter’s closet through the curtains and the glass paneling, and it showed Peter opening the lights to his room and gasping as he sees the message on the mirror. Then it shows him running downstairs, and it cuts to another scene where Bucky and Steve enter his room and find Peter staring at the mirror. The video then ends, and they’re all left in shock as they realized that X was there in the same room as them without them ever noticing. 

 

The four then turn their eyes to the closet, fear creeping up as they wonder if X is still inside.  The walk in closet had double doors made of glass that were see through and white curtains on the inside. Peter quickly grabs his geometry textbook on his desk and grips on it as if it were a weapon. Steve reaches for an empty glass cup on the desk with Bucky grabbing a large picture frame of the family while Strange raises his briefcase that would certainly be lethal if used in the right way. They all share a look before slowly creeping up to the closet. Peter tiptoes to the other side, hand hovering above the knob as he looks at his parents. They give him a nod, and Peter quickly turns it and opens the closet doors. All of them raised their ‘weapons’ as if something were to jump out, and slowly put it back down when they find the closet was empty. They all let out a breath of relief before Peter notices something on the floor.

 

“Wait a minute,” he says as he gets on his knees, “Is that lipstick?”

 

He points to a small blue rectangular item on the floor, and was about to pick it up when Strange shouts, “Wait! That could be evidence! Don’t touch it!” Putting on some gloves he had in his briefcase, Strange squatted as he picks the item up. He then opens it and twists the bottom, revealing lipstick. Strange then walks over to the mirror and uses the lipstick to draw a straight line on it.

 

“It’s the same color.” Strange points out.

 

“Okay, well, I definitely don’t have lipstick, so it’s gotta be X’s,” Peter crossed his arms.

 

“Doesn’t really narrow down the suspect list,” Steve said.

 

“I’ll take this to the lab,” Strange got up and put the lipstick in the briefcase, “I’ll search for any fingerprints and possible DNA on it.”

 

Strange shut his briefcase closed and took it off Peter’s desk, “Now, if you excuse me, I must head back to my lab.”   
  


“We’ll walk you out,” Steve added with a smile. Strange nodded and the three men walked out of Peter’s room. Peter slowly sat down at the edge of his bed. He looked at his messy closet with chills going up his spine.  _ X was there _ , he thought,  _ X was standing right there, without any of us noticing _ . Peter instantly got up off his bed and shut the closet doors. He grabbed his phone and walked out, shutting off the lights and closing the doors. He’ll be definitely sleeping in his parent’s room tonight. The thought of X being in his room and invading his privacy was terrifying to Peter.  _ Ugh, I’m going to have to disinfect the whole room,  _ Peter thought in his mind as he walked downstairs.

 

After parting ways with the Rogers family, Strange immediately stomped on the gas pedal all the way to the police department. He didn’t want to admit this in front of Steve and Bucky, but in all his 10 years of being a detective, this case was the most fun he had. Yes, he knows it’s wrong he’s having excitement over a family being threatened, but he can’t help the tingly feeling as he stays up at night trying to connect the clues as to who this mysterious stalker could be. All he’s ever done in his career is solving cases on murders, robberies, theft, breaking and entering, and those were fun as well, but this particular case just gives him that exciting feeling that he first felt on his first ever case. And the proud feeling as he solves the case, he knows that feeling will definitely feel amazing when he finds out who X is. 

 

Arriving at the mostly empty building, it was 12 and almost everybody went home, Strange set his eyes on to his lab upstairs. He quickly walked in and shut the door for his privacy. He set the briefcase on his desk and walked over to where the evidence board where he pinned evidence he gathered throughout the week. He saved one just for the case, and though the evidence was little, he knew more were to come. On the board, there was a timeline with the dates and coordinates of the X threats. Underneath those were screenshots of the texts, which he printed out. On the top right were pictures of X’s attack and destruction of the house. Plastered over the board where questions written in marker, such as  **how did X manage to break inside the house while turning off the alarms and cameras?** And  **Is ‘X’ more than one person?**

 

Strange sat back on the chair facing his desk as he pulled out his camera. He plugged the USB from the camera into his computer to transfer all the images he took. Once transferred, he printed all of them out. He sat back on the chair with a deep sigh as the screen displayed  **Printing 1 out of 31** . He watched as the numbers increased as they printed out one by one.  _ It’s gonna be a long night,  _ Strange thought as he took another deep breath. 

 

Suddenly, a hand came out from behind his chair, one hand gripping around Strange’s neck and the other covering his mouth. Strange jolted from his seat and grabbed the cloth covered arm. Trying to rip the arm off, he squirmed in his seat, kicking under the desk and trying to call out of help. His screams were muffled by the cloth, and his grip on the arm tightened. His vision got blurry as he tried to breath in air but the hand around his neck prevented him from doing so. He screamed more and more as he tried to twist his body off the intruder and his kicks got more frantic. He constantly hit the desk, causing the lamp on the desk to fall over. His name plaque fell off and so did the paper sheets. The last thing he saw was the picture of him and his fiance, Christine, on his desk before everything faded into blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the nice comments ! 'Till next time ~


End file.
